Mic Check: Scientists Bring Extinct Species Back From the Dead

Trending In Our News Feeds – Steubenville football players found guilty of rape. On Sunday, an Ohio judge sentenced Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays to one and two-year sentences in the juvenile system for raping a 16-year-old girl. Because the victim could not remember the night she was assaulted, prosecutors used text messages and cell phone pictures as their primary sources of evidence. PolicyMic pundit Andrea Ayres-Deet provides an excellent analysis of the significance of the case.

RNC gives poor review of party performance. The Republican National Committee has released a harsh review of GOP performance in the last two presidential elections. In a speech today, Committee Chairman Reince Priebus detailed a list of party problems ranging from poor messaging to weak canvassing efforts. Proposed solutions include a $10 million minority outreach program and GOP-hosted “hack-a-thons” to promote information sharing within the party.

Cyprus considers painful bailout terms. Over the weekend, the EU agreed to a bailout of the failing Cypriot economy, on the condition of a fine paid by all citizens with bank accounts. In response to strong resistance to the bailout terms, President Nicos Anastasiades warned that failure to accept the terms would result in economic collapse. The Cypriot government has postponed a vote on the bailout conditions Union until tomorrow evening, in hopes of renegotiating terms with the EU.

U.S. gov. investigates Wall Street Journal.The Wall Street Journalreports that the Justice Department opened an investigation last year based on a tip that the publication’s China bureau was bribing Chinese officials for information. The Journal’s parent company was unable to find any evidence to support the accusation. Journal officials claim an ally of the Chinese government may have reported the tip to disrupt the publication’s reporting.

Scientists create embryo of extinct species. Researchers from an Australian university have successfully created a living embryo of a frog species that has been extinct for 30 years. While the embryo did not survive, the scientists assured the media, “We do expect to get this guy hopping again.” The experiment makes the resurrection of deceased species an exciting possibility.

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